Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to the field of musical instrument accessories, specifically a capo device for selectively altering the pitch of a guitar or other stringed instrument.
Background
Stringed instruments allow a player to selectively press a string against a fret board, neck, fingerboard, or the like, at different points along the string in order to produce certain tones or notes upon simultaneous strumming of the string. With multiple strings available for successive or simultaneous manipulation, a player can thus produce chords and melodies within the original pitch range for a particular instrument. However, it is often desirable to adjust the pitch of the entire instrument without permanent alteration, such that a player can then manipulate the instrument's strings to temporarily produce chords and melodies within a different pitch range.
A capo device allows a player of a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, to temporarily adjust the pitch of the instrument by pressing all strings of the instrument against a fret board at a desired point along the length of the fret board and locking in place, freeing the player's hand to manipulate the strings below the capo device. However, traditional capo devices can only properly be used with one size of stringed instrument neck. An ill-fitting capo device inhibits application of proper force applied to instrument strings, resulting in undesirable sound and pitch effects. Therefore, with traditional capo devices, a musician must own a different capo device for each stringed instrument for which a capo device is desired.
What is needed is a capo device adapted to properly engage a variety of stringed instrument neck sizes. The capo device can have a pivoting member adapted to center the force applied to instrument strings when used across a range of instrument neck sizes.